170: Today, there are no dark clouds covering the sky.
Above the Prefecture City, chaotic golden light was intertwined like tangled threads, yet it carried a special rhythm, as if facing the might of the Heavens.
"That's... the City Protection Grand Array! Didn't it get damaged?!"
"Someone is using great magical power to recast the Grand Array! Who is it?!"
"Could it be Elder Ye?"
Secret Martial Artists in the Prefecture City recognized the City Protection Grand Array; that irresistible power was truly unforgettable.
Above, behind the clouds, Qin Jiang stepped forward, repairing the City Protection Grand Array.
It must be said that even from his current Realm, he still marveled at the City Protection Grand Array; many aspects of it gave him inspiration.
About half an hour later, the City Protection Grand Array was completely repaired and optimized with reinforcements in its original weak points.
If the previous City Protection Grand Array, when fully activated, could withstand an ordinary True God, now, even a True God at the Peak wielding an Immortal Artifact would need to exert some effort to break through it.
Returning to Tongtian Peak, Qin Jiang embedded the core hub of the City Protection Grand Array into the newly forged Vajra Bell, thereby allowing him to control the City Protection Grand Array.
"Senior Brother, with this matter concluded, I will also be heading to the Imperial City in a few days."
Three days later, in a certain valley in the wilderness.
In the ruins of the Bronze City, Qin Jiang sat on the steps in front of the sacrificial altar, flipping through an ancient book. Behind him was a humanoid statue with a shattered head.
Calling it a book, it was actually a string of bronze tablets, each about the size of a palm, inscribed with ancient characters.
Fortunately, because the map of the Ancient Yu Country ruins contained many ancient characters, he had taken the time to learn some, so reading them was not difficult.
According to the records on the bronze tablets, he finally learned the reason for the demise of the Ancient Yu Country, which was indeed caused by Yellow Sky Divine Mother.
This Yellow Sky Divine Mother had a mysterious origin, harvesting the suffering of the world, seemingly from the Underworld, not belonging to this Realm.
He put away the bronze tablets and stood up, glancing at his panel. His potential points had exceeded four thousand, obtained from searching over a dozen Ancient Yu Country ruins in the past few days.
Of course, most of these ruins had been completely destroyed or had simply vanished, which was why he only had this many.
In addition, he also discovered that these Ancient Yu Country ruins were roughly divided into Bronze City Rank, Underground Palace City Rank, and Palace Rank according to their Rank.
Palace Rank was very common, Underground Palace Rank was like the one in the Maple Forest Mountain Range, and this one here barely belonged to the Underground Palace Rank.
As for the Bronze City Rank, he had only seen the one in the Black Scorpion Desert.
Thinking of this, he took out the Sand Scorpion King from the interdimensional space he had opened. Ever since that day, after consuming the black-mist-emitting gelatinous substance, its body, originally like black jade, had transformed into blue-black, and it had become lethargic.
Furthermore, a layer of light blue shell, similar to gelatin, gradually condensed on its body.
As for now, the Sand Scorpion King was completely encased in a light blue shell, seemingly in a deep slumber.
However, he was not worried; during his examination, he did not feel any harm from this change. It seemed the Sand Scorpion King was Awakening some kind of talent.
Putting away the Sand Scorpion King, he looked at his panel and poured all his potential points into the Demon Ancestor Sweeping Heaven Record.
【Demon Ancestor Sweeping Heaven Record (Third Layer) (24000 / 40000) [98%], Experience Points + 463500】
【Demon Ancestor Sweeping Heaven Record (Ninth Layer) (137500 / 300000) [98%]】
【Potential Points: 3.6】
As the Demon Ancestor Sweeping Heaven Record entered the Ninth Layer, a colossal golden-black Taiji phantom rapidly ascended, growing larger with increasing height.
In the end, the golden-black Taiji overshadowed the sky and covered the entire mountain range.
In an instant, all the beasts in the mountain range became agitated, letting out restless roars.
Among the demon beasts, some were even close to the Demon King Rank, cowering in their caves, not daring to even glance up, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.
This difference, stemming from the essence of life itself, and the faintly pressing Dragon Might, made them dare not overstep in the slightest.
Moments later, several divine lights shot forth, varying in form; some were fierce beasts, others ferocious birds, all emitting the pressure of a Demon King Rank.
"Dragon Might? Is it a fellow from the Dragon Clan?"
"Not quite, it seems to contain some kind of demonic power. It must be a Prodigy, no doubt!"
"I wonder what wild demon this is, daring to Break through to the Great Demon King Realm on our territory. Doesn't he know this will greatly deplete the mountain range's Luck?!"
Although their words showed much displeasure, these Demon Kings ultimately chose not to act.
After all, offending a Demon King for the sake of the so-called mountain range Luck was not worthwhile, as long as the other party was willing to offer compensation afterward.
Just as they were discussing what compensation to demand, the golden-black Taiji in front suddenly trembled, rippling out a circle of transparent waves.
The moment the waves passed, the expressions of the Demon Kings all changed.
"No! Retreat quickly! This is a True God!"
In a flash, several divine lights shot out, fleeing into the distance.
A golden-black giant hand rose from within the valley, swept across the sky, and when it returned, it held a black ferocious bird with a wingspan of nearly fifty meters.
The ferocious bird struggled, but the next instant, it spat out fresh blood, its bones shattered, and it lost its breath.
Moments later, blue-white smoke rose from within the valley, and Qin Jiang casually flipped the barbecue grill.
This ferocious bird was too large; one grill was not enough, so two were needed.
He casually conjured a demonic fire to roast it, and in just a few breaths, the aroma of cooked meat wafted out.
Especially a pair of roasted wings, golden fat dripped, making crackling sizzling sounds, releasing an enticing fragrance.
Not long after, the roasting was complete. Qin Jiang revealed his true form, transforming into an eighty-one-zhang Dragon-headed giant, with four pairs of Dragon horns extending backward like tree branches, shimmering with a faint cold light.
He grabbed the roasted wings and began to devour them. Soon, only a pile of remains was left on the ground, and some desperate carnivores scurried out to gnaw on the scraps.
He patted his belly and looked into the distance, his pair of dark-gold vertical pupils flashing with divine light.
'It's time to go to the Imperial City.'
Three days later, on the road from the Prefecture to the Imperial City, Qin Jiang sat inside a carriage. At this time, he had changed into a white robe, and his demeanor had become restrained.
Coupled with his slightly youthful face, he was no different from a Young Master on a casual outing.
"Uncle Xu, how much further is it?" Qin Jiang leaned against the window, looking at the scenery outside, and asked somewhat languidly.
Some time ago, Xu Yanran had transferred Steward Xu to the Prefecture City, making many matters much easier.
"Replying to Young Master, it's less than twenty li away," Steward Xu said.
Strictly speaking, he was already Xu Yanran's retainer, so he naturally followed Xu Yanran's way of addressing him.
Moreover, Young Master had forcibly raised his own strength to the twelfth-Rank Secret Martial Artist some time ago. Although he could only stop there due to forced advancement, for him, if he relied on himself, he probably wouldn't even become a seventh-Rank Secret Martial Artist in this lifetime.
Qin Jiang nodded, "Go slower. The beautiful scenery along the way should be enjoyed slowly."
It was a rare moment of relaxation, and now that he had three Ninth-Layer Divine Martial arts, he had the power to protect himself even against a True Immortal, so his mindset was completely different from before.
The sky was vast and the sea wide, and now, there were no more dark clouds covering the sky above his head.
Steward Xu nodded helplessly upon hearing this, "Understood, Young Master."
Originally, Xu Yanran had told him to send a letter back once he arrived, but alas, with the Steward out, the master's orders were not entirely followed.
Approaching noon, Qin Jiang slowly woke up and stretched.
He lifted the curtain, and a colossal city came into view.